When it comes to talking about political issues with my children I explain what I believe is best right now for our family. And this will change as we change and grow in the future. I do want my children to have an open and respectful view of all political parties. What is important to you won’t necessarily be important to your friends or even other family members. I also tell my children to write down what policies are important to them, a pros and con list of both parties this is one way that can help you choose what issues are important and how you should vote.

Steph
on May 27th, 2012

Well, ‘screw you’, United Airlines! WE will not be flying with you anymore. It costs you nothing to let families and people with disabilities board a few minutes earlier…and it makes for a more calm flight if kids can have time to get settled. I have already stopped flying with US Airways because their customer service is so abysmal. Traveling used to be such fun and now I will save my money to fly with airlines who really appreciate my business.

Sarah K.
on May 29th, 2012

Steph, the article did not say anything about people with disabilities not being able to board early. Also, disabled people are not in the same category as families with kids. Accommodations should absolutely be made for people with disabilities. But, having kids (like a majority of the population) does not entitle you to special privileges. If you don’t to fly United because they don’t treat you special, fine. But, I’m not sure what the angry “screw you” reaction is about. Not everyone has to treat families with small kids like royalty. If your kids can’t handle standing in line to wait an extra 3 minutes to be seated, maybe they shouldn’t be flying?

Holiday
on May 29th, 2012

It makes sense for families with small kids to board first because they often use car seats on the plane. When I fly with my 2 little ones we bring their car seats and we juts hold up the rest of the plane trying to install their carseats and it creates a back up. Oh well we are installing them regardless even if it does hold up other people. Thats why it makes sense for families with small children to get on the plane first.

MiB
on May 29th, 2012

Sarah K., the way I see it, preboarding with children is actually a service to the other passengers, particularly when it comes to air lines that have free seating. Have you never been on a free seating flight, only to see pasengers being re-shuffled because a family boarded among the other passengers and can’t find an acceptable seating arrangement? I for one think that kids should sit with their parents, at least until they reach their teens, if not for anything else than for security reasons. Or being held up in the aisle because the parents were installing a car seat? I say, get that over with before the rest of the passengers board!

Last time I flew with my sister and nephew and a friend and her two children, we paid up for a priority boarding for one person, who boarded and claimed seats for all of us. The last time our friend flew, she had been separated from her oldest child by two rows because no one wanted to change seats. I see pre-boarding for families with children as a convenience for all. They get to sit next to each other and have time to install car seats and whatnot. I, who usually fly without children, can board quicker and don’t have to be reshuffled due to families needing to be seated together.

Jillian
on May 29th, 2012

We prefer to not got on first. We travel with 5 children and would rather not be on the plane as long as it takes everyone to board, which can be lengthy. Keeping my children off the plane works best and it is just as easy to put the car seats in at our boarding time as it is at the beginning. I don’t feel I deserve to board early because I have children, just like all the time I have been pregnant, I never parked in a pregnant parking spot. Being pregnant is a choice I chose. Yes, some people may give me dirty looks on the plane when my kids cry…..but I couldn’t care less. We have every right to be there as they do.

And what this article doesn’t mention is that American’s policy doesn’t allow early boarding, BUT they do allow you to board early if you need assistance, which clearly many parents can and will do. Not all airlines let you board early with your children. So, this is not a big surprise. If they stopped allowing disabled people to board early, that would outrage me and I am sure many others. That is a completely different issue.